Indiana Goes West (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 1) (10 page)

The messenger
was hurrying and Morgan was hard put to keep up, given the poor
visibility. Guard dogs barked loudly, and one or two were howling
eerily. It was an uncanny sound.

“
Why are we
going this way?” Morgan asked the messenger.

“
It’s a short
cut,” he answered curtly.

At that very
moment
, Morgan knew that
something was wrong. He swung around, just as Cade emerged from the
dark. Morgan struggled in vain to hold his breath. Cade had a
strong, unpleasant body odor, due no doubt to a lack of
bathing.

“
Thanks for
coming.” Cade’s tone was as unpleasant as his appearance. “Turn
around.”

Morgan turned around, expecting to be hit on
the back of the head or even shot, but Cade merely jabbed him in
the back with his gun. He soon found himself in another back
street, opposite a bar. It was easier to see here, the stars being
able to shine in the open space, unhindered by crowded awnings, but
the residence itself was dark.

Cade handed the messenger the gun and
unlocked the door. He stood back and waved the gun at Morgan. “Go
in,” he said.

Morgan walked in—he had no choice but to
obey.

“
Not too bright
are you, walking into an obvious trap!” Cade’s tone was one of
blatant gloating.

Morgan
walked back over to the door, but
stepped back when he was hit by a burst of foul breath. Even in the
dim light, Morgan could see that Cade was supremely
smug.

“
Enjoy your
time here while it lasts. What a shame you won’t be able to come to
my wedding,” Cade cackled, and then left with the
messenger.

So
that
’s what this
is all about
, Morgan
thought.
With me
out of the way, Cade thinks he will be able to marry Indiana. Why
didn’t he have me murdered instead? He must have his reasons. I
wonder what he’s up to?

Morgan
walked around his tiny room. It was
damp, smelly, and horrible in every way.

* * *

Indiana was anxious—Morgan had not arrived
that afternoon for dinner. Deborah had sent a messenger to the
hotel, and Indiana had waited with bated breath for the messenger’s
return.

The messenger had returned to inform them
that Morgan was nowhere to be found, but had not checked out of the
hotel. Deborah had then sent a message to Charles Walton.

A worried Charles himself was now standing in
the villa’s reception room, speaking to Deborah and Indiana. “I
just can’t understand what’s happened to him. I’ve been to his
hotel suite, and all his things are there. It’s like he’s vanished
off the face of the earth. I’ve asked around and no one has seen
any sign of him. Cody’s out looking for him now.”

Indiana wrung her hands in despair. She had
trouble breathing, and gasped for air. She had thought things over,
and had realized that Morgan indeed must have feelings for her. Why
had she acted so hastily and in such an unseemly manner? She could
not wait for the first opportunity to set things right with Morgan,
but now he had vanished without a trace.

Just as she thought things couldn’t get any
worse, Mr. Cade Hollway was shown in. He was clean for a
change.

“I have some news of Mr. Morgan Chase,” he
announced, and Indiana’s heart missed a beat.

“Yes, what it is then?” Charles could not
conceal his impatience nor his dislike for Cade.

“It is a little unsavory for the ladies.”
Cade leered at Indiana.

“Oh my dear Mr. Hollway, please speak
forthrightly, as this is a matter of some urgency,” Deborah
said.

“If you insist, my dear. I do, however, feel
embarrassed to speak of such matters in front of ladies.” Cade did
his best to look uncomfortable. “My good friend Morgan Chase came
to me with a delicate problem late last night. He was caught with
the wife of…” Cade hesitated, “well, I must not name names, and he
needed to hide. He was unable to return to his hotel room, being in
fear of the husband, so came to me late at night. I advised him to
leave town and not return.”

“That’s not true!”

“Indiana! Apologize to our guest at
once.”

Cade held up his hand. “There’s no need, Mrs.
White. I do understand how upset Indiana must be to hear this awful
news. Young love and all that.”

It was clear to Indiana that Charles also
realized that Cade’s story was untrue, and she was distracted for a
moment by wondering what Charles would do.

Charles finally spoke. “I’ll get to the
bottom of this—mark my words!” He said goodbye to Indiana and
Deborah, shot Cade a dark look, and then left.

Cade sniggered. “That was awkward.”

Deborah agreed. “Yes, Mr. Hollway, poor Mr.
Walton must be horribly embarrassed. He is the uncle of Mr. Chase,
you understand.”

“Mother, Mr. Chase wouldn’t do such a thing!”
Indiana protested.

Deborah turned on Indiana, her face furious.
Indiana did not care. She was terrified for Morgan’s sake.
Whatever has happened to him?
she wondered.
Has he met
with foul play?

Cade spoke before Deborah could say any more.
“Let us put this nasty business behind us and forget that my dear
friend Morgan Chase ever existed, for his sake as well as yours. I
should like to invite both of you to dinner tomorrow evening.”

Deborah accepted happily, while Indiana
glared at Cade.
He’s obviously done something to Morgan. I hope
he hasn’t had him murdered. Surely even Cade wouldn’t go that
far?

“Indiana!”

“Yes, Mother?”

“Didn’t you hear? Mr. Hollway asked if you
would be so kind as to walk him out.”

“Oh, yes, Mother.”

Cade and Indiana walked out into the entrance
courtyard. As soon as they were away from Deborah, Indiana hissed
at Cade. “What have you done with Morgan?”

Cade laughed, and then spoke in hushed tones.
“I have him hidden away somewhere special. He’s safe, for now, but
if you refuse to marry me, I’ll have him killed.”

Indiana stopped, and stared at Cade in
disbelief. “I’ll tell Charles!”

“I’m sure he already suspects.” Cade laughed
harshly. “He’s not as gullible as Morgan. But let me make this very
clear. If you tell anyone at all, I’ll have Morgan killed at once.
I only have to give the signal. The one and only way for you to
guarantee his safety is to marry me.”

Indiana put her hands to her head. This was
too much to take in all at once. “But what then?” she stammered.
“What if I do marry you? What becomes of Morgan?”

“I’ll let him go once we’re married.”

“Do you take me for a fool, sir? What proof
do I have of that?”

Cade sniggered. “Why would I lie about that?
Anyway, no matter what you think of me, I always keep my promises,
and I’m prepared to make a promise to you.”

Indiana was not thinking clearly. She thought
she was about to be sick, but struggled to keep her mind clear for
Morgan’s sake. “And you say he’s unharmed?”

“Completely unharmed, for now. After we’re
married, I’ll release him. There’ll be nothing he can do. And he
won’t cause any fuss about me kidnapping him, as I’ll tell him that
I’ll make your life a misery if he does. It’s a foolproof plan, if
I do say so myself.” Cade laughed again. “And not a word to
anyone.”

They reached the door, and Cade walked out.
Indiana stared after him, wondering how any one person could have
so much evil in them.

Cade had only gone a few steps when he turned
around and looked at her. “And one more thing, be on your best
behavior at dinner tomorrow evening, or Mr. Chase will pay the
consequences.”

Chapter 17

Indiana had no sleep that night, lying in bed
wondering where Cade could be keeping Morgan. She decided not to
tell her sisters, Montana and Leah, or even her maid, Misty. Until
she knew more and was able to calm her mind enough to think things
through, it was better not to tell anyone. She could take no
chances with Morgan’s safety. Plus, she had no doubt whatsoever
that Cade was not one to make idle threats.

Charles was clearly aware that Cade had been
lying, but Indiana felt it not wise to tell Charles of Cade’s
threats yet. Cade would be expecting Indiana to do so, and Indiana
was worried that Cade might have someone watching Charles to see if
she went to him. She would have to bide her time, as difficult as
it was. Perhaps the dinner with Cade that afternoon would give her
a piece of information, no matter how small.

The day dragged on painfully slowly. When
Deborah and Indiana were standing outside Cade’s rented apartment,
Deborah turned to Indiana. “Indiana dear, I know how hard it is to
be young and in love. Instead of being upset, look on the bright
side—you’ve had a lucky escape from Mr. Chase. What an
unsatisfactory man he is! I was completely fooled by him, and I
even had no idea that the two men were friends. Why, Mr. Chase did
not even tell me the fact. I have completely reversed my opinion of
Mr. Hollway. And how kind of him to stand by a friend, even one as
unscrupulous as Mr. Chase.”

“But Mother…”

Deborah’s expression warned Indiana not to
say another word. “I should have stood by my first instincts and
married you to Mr. Hollway by now. He’s a wonderful match for you.”
Deborah glared at Indiana.

I’m certainly not going to marry Cade
Hollway
, Indiana thought,
but there will be no convincing
Mother. I’ll go along with it for now, and keep my wits about me. I
need to find out where Cade is keeping Morgan, and fast
.

Just as Indiana’s thoughts turned to him,
Cade appeared. He greeted Deborah warmly, and then leered at
Indiana, looking her up and down. She winced under his gaze. Cade
showed them to the dining room, and they took their seats.

The servants appeared and poured drinks. Just
then, a tremor hit, causing one servant to trip and splash Cade. He
leaped to his feet, more nimbly than Indiana imaged someone of his
size could move. Indiana was afraid he was about to strike the
servant, when the whole dining room shook.

“A tremor,” Deborah exclaimed, somewhat
unnecessarily, and the servants hurried from the room.

Even Indiana, who since childhood had been
used to the frequent tremors, was unnerved as this tremor was the
strongest one she had ever encountered. It seemed to last for ages,
and no one in the room spoke. It seemed as if every dog in the city
had started howling, and their howling sounded to Indiana more like
the wailing of tortured souls.

Finally, the shaking lessened, and Cade
called for a servant to send others to check to see if he had
incurred any damage throughout the apartment.

Other servants appeared and served prosciutto
ham on tiny slivers of bread. Deborah and Cade were making small
talk, and Indiana was listening closely for anything that would
give a hint of Morgan’s whereabouts.

The talk, however, was all about the tremors,
the weather, and politics, and Cade told Deborah stories about his
ranch in Texas. Indiana was pleased to be ignored.

The servant returned and spoke breathlessly.
“Sir, it appears that the cellar has received some damage.”

“Not now! Get out! Can’t you see I have
guests? We’re in the middle of dinner!” A furious Cade followed the
confused servant out of the dining room, after mumbling a hasty
apology to Deborah and Indiana. “Please excuse me. I must check
this damage for myself. I shouldn’t be long. Please go on with your
meals.”

Indiana, however, was thrilled to hear the
word ‘cellar’.
That is surely where he’s holding Morgan
, she
thought.
Why didn’t I think of that before? It’s obvious that
Cade has Morgan there, given his reaction to the servant.

Her happiness was short lived, when she
thought the matter through more carefully.
What if Morgan was
injured by the tremor? Or is even dead?
Her eyes filled with
tears.

Cade returned just as the servants began
serving the dessert, bananas covered with whipped cream, ice cream,
and various chopped fruit and nuts. Indiana paid no attention to
the dessert, but instead noted that Cade looked entirely smug.

“A little damage to the walls in the cellar,
but no harm has come to any person.” Cade looked pointedly at
Indiana and added, “For the moment, at any rate. Now, my dear Mrs.
White, let us discuss the wedding arrangements. I should like to be
married as soon as possible.”

Indiana was relieved, and not at all
distressed by the talk of marriage to the horrid Cade. Not only was
Morgan unharmed, but she knew where he was. Cade was clearly
confident that Morgan was well guarded, but that did not change the
fact that Indiana at least now knew Morgan’s whereabouts.

Now all she had to do was rescue him.

* * *

Morgan was praying silently in the dark when
the tremor struck. There was a sudden loud sound followed by a thud
and Morgan wondered if a chunk of the roof had fallen into the
cellar. Morgan braced himself against the wall, and it seemed to
him for a moment that the wall was closing in on him.

When the shaking finally stopped, Morgan
heard approaching footsteps, and then a light was switched on. He
blinked hard, blinded by the first light he had seen in hours. No
words were spoken, but as his sight cleared, he saw light around
the rest of the cellar and then it slowly disappeared up the
corridor.

Only minutes later, Morgan heard more
footsteps. This time, however, it was Cade. “I’m glad to see you’re
still alive, Mr. Chase. Are you unharmed?”

“Yes.” Morgan was surprised at his own
voice—it was croaky, and he could barely speak. Someone had given
him water and bread twice a day, and he had a blanket, so he could
not understand what had happened to his voice.